🌱 Liberal Cities Target Homeless + Mask Mandate To End

It's the weekend, my friends. And not just any weekend, but a St. Patrick's Day weekend. Here in Portland, we can't wait the days until the actual holiday gets here. And why should we? I'll be wearing the green all weekend, but that won't stop me from telling you about today. Here's the scoop.

First, today's weather:

We'll start the day with a bit of sun, but the rain comes back in the afternoon. We've got a high of 57 though, so it'll still be pretty warm.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. Increasingly, in liberal cities across the country — where people living in tents in public spaces have long been tolerated — leaders are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures to address homelessness that would have been unheard of a few years ago. Last month Wheeler used his emergency powers to ban camping on the sides of "high-crash" roadways — which encompass about 8% of the total area of the city. The decision followed a report showing 19 of 27 pedestrians killed by cars in Portland last year were homeless. People in at least 10 encampments were given 72 hours to leave. (KGW.com)
2. The chairman of the volunteer board writing Oregon’s rules for psilocybin has resigned. The departure comes after board members were asked to disclose any conflicts of interest. Tom Eckert and his late wife, Sheri Eckert, championed the 2020 ballot measure that created Oregon’s new system for taking hallucinogenic mushrooms. As chairman of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, Eckert was helping to write the policies under which the ballot measure will operate. Sheri Eckert died in December 2020, just after voters approved Measure 109. VICE recently reported that Eckert was in a relationship with the CEO of a Dutch psychedelic retreat company, Synthesis. Willamette Week has reported that Synthesis plans to open a clinic in Oregon and that other board members had called for Eckert to resign. (OPB)
3. The city of Portland is growing, recovering and in many ways it’s thriving. At the same time, it’s also dealing with a lot of crime: stolen cars and graffiti, gunfire and more homicides than the city has ever seen. Some people arrested for various crimes are repeat offenders. Why are chronic repeat offenders allowed to walk in and out of jail before their trial, often putting the public at risk? One of the most complicating factors of all in Oregon's criminal justice system right now is a shortage of public defenders and extreme case overload. (KGW)
4. Legislators last week struck down a glaring inefficiency in the law that governs fixed speed cameras, the pole-mounted photo radar devices designed to slow traffic. House Bill 4105, sponsored by two local lawmakers, state Rep. Jeff Reardon (D-Portland) and state Sen. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland), ended the requirement that every ticket issued by a fixed speed camera be reviewed by a sworn police officer. (Willamette Week)
5. Starting today, Oregon and Washington will end the mask mandates for indoor public places and schools. Many school districts say they plan to make masking optional starting on Monday. However, the Parkrose School District says it plans to keep masking in place until March 29, after spring break. On Thursday, Multnomah County leaders marked two years since the first coronavirus case in the county. (KATU)

Today in Portland:

• Join the Pharmacy in NW Portland in welcoming PNW’s Adarna to the stage! Taking its name from a mythical phoenix-like songbird in Filipino folklore, The Adarna [pronounced uh-darn-uh] is the first band to ever coin its genre as “Jet City Rock,” due to tits proximity to Seattle's Boeing Field. Known for its relentless energy and aggressive tour schedules, this international touring artist is armed with a 3rd album titled "Road to Resonance." Check it out for a night full of rock music, good drinks, and good times. This is a free show. 9:00 - 11:55 PM.
• The Portland Doll & Bear show is happening today at the Holiday Inn Portland Airport! There will be 35 vendors selling antique, vintage, and modern dolls, handmade clothing and accessories, one-of-a-kind artist dolls, BJD dolls, and teddy bears. If you have never been to a doll show, it is a great place to find treasures and meet other collectors. This special event only happens twice a year, so don't miss it! 10:oo AM to 4:00 PM.
• Are you into skateboarding? Then you'll want to check out The Lion's Eye Tavern's 82nd & Woodstock Night Market: Skateboarding Edition! One night only and dedicated to all things skateboarding! Food, Beer and Cider! 4:00 - 10:00 PM.
• For a few laughs, check out Leikam Brewing's stand-up comedy event, "Sorry Not Sorry." Portland comedy faves Marietje Hauprich, Julia Corral, and Eliza Butler host this monthly standup showcase featuring women, LGBTIQIA+ and POC comics. In March we have Katie Nguyen, Jamie Carbone, Bernice Ye, and Molly Callahan. Register online for this free show. The show starts at 8:00 PM.
• "Common Tones:" Philip Emilio Baker presents a tribute to McCoy Tyner, iconic jazz pianist, at The Old Church Concert Hall in downtown Portland. Philip Emilio Baker leads a group of world class musicians celebrating the life and legacy of iconic jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, whose mentor was John Coltrane. Register online for this free event. 8:00 - 10:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland has had a rough couple of years, and as a result its national reputation has taken a beating. The New York Times is no longer offering up paeans, as it did in 2014, to Portland hipsters: “bearded, on skateboards, brewing kombucha.” This is now the “Anarchist Jurisdiction.” And yet people are still moving to the Rose City. (The Oregonian)
• Local YouTuber Rain Surname does a lot of their errands on foot, so they meet a lot of cats around the city. And they filmed them! I give you Portland Cats! (YouTube)
• In summer of 2020, five artists fanned out across Portland’s Eastside Industrial District for one week creating huge, colorful new murals – part of the Portland Street Art Alliance’s plan to seed a world class mural district. Using ladders, high lifts, and dozens of friends and helpers, they transformed the walls of warehouses and factories into works of art. “The future that I see here,” says PSAA Founding Director Tomás Valladares, “is that every single wall is covered in art.”(YouTube)
• The Portland Art Museum will welcome visitors for free on March 20, April 24, and June 19 as they continue to reintroduce their quarterly Miller Family Free Days. For March 20, timed-entry tickets will be available on the museum’s website starting March 16 and are required for free admission to "Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection." They expect these timed special exhibition tickets to sell out quickly, but more walk-in tickets for general admission to all other areas of the museum will be available. (Instagram)
• It feels like St. Patrick’s Day has been gone awhile. The holiday was the first to see celebrations closed down when Oregon instituted pandemic shutdowns in March 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. St. Patrick’s Day events that were all set to go were forced to shut down right before the holiday. This year as pandemic restrictions have eased across the country, many are ready to raise a pint to being with friends again. If you’re ready to venture out for the wearing o’ the green, these events will help you on your way. (The Oregonian)

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I hope that gets your weekend started right. I don't say this enough, but I want to thank you all for reading my newsletter. It brings me great joy to be able to share all the great things, and even the not so great things, that make up the fine city of Portland. But it wouldn't be much without readers to share it with and that's where you come in. So, once again, thank you and I'll see you next week.

— Dominic Anaya

About me: Doctor, educator and now a writer/artist, I'm just chillin' in Portland, OR with my wife, our ferrets, our chickens and our goats.